one is in favor of freedom, prosperity, and the American way.

Well, wasn't that easy?  

Eh.

(And how the heck is any of it a "first amendment issue"?)

NLS calls itself "The Official Transition Office of Congresswoman Elect Leslie Byrne"

NLS has strange photo shopped images of Leslie as "superwoman" (Strange b/c  Superwoman / man doesn't lose)

NLS has tried to hide / obscure his role as campaign staff / consultant in the past.

Leslie has linked to NLS

There seems to be some coordination, either formal (paid) or informal between Leslie and NLS

Someone called Leslie on this, she dodged the question...  

This is RK, last time I checked, and I am commenting on Gerry Connolly's apparent desire to not receive any blog support. Rather odd for a politician to say "I don't want your support," wouldn't you say?

Your missing what I think was the point of the question Leslie was blogging about and giving her a pass on two important things:

and that I did not have any control over bloggers nor did I want to.

I said, "I repudiate it but now what?"

The question was in reference to several tasteless postings by Ben Tribbett of Not Larry Sabato- one of her former employees.

NLS promotes itself as "The Official Transition Office of Congresswoman Elect Leslie Byrne,"

And Leslie allows this, so she has some responsibility for NLS statements and tactics

If she really does repudiate a blog, she can refuse to promote / link to a blog, ask that a blog remove her pictures and stop promoting events / stories on such blogs she dose not agree with.

Also,  moderates her blog, which is fine but if / when she doesn't post relevant comments or feedback then she has no credibility on supporting:

"the free marketplace of ideas."

1. Take it up with Ben if you're so concerned.
2. If you know Connolly, tell him to disavow HIS operatives, particularly one who we've already discussed far too much but who used to post vicious attacks under variants of the name "Thomas Paine."

Lowell,

I think, unfortunately, Ms. Byrne misheard Gerry's comments at the Neabsco meeting Saturday. At no point did he say he wasn't "looking for support in the blogosphere."

He did note that he hadn't received very much support - and didn't expect to - from certain bloggers who have already made clear their preference in the race.  

The good news is that both Gerry and Ms. Byrne pledged to disavow negative attacks that come from bloggers. In addition, they each pledged to run a positive campaign (should Gerry become a candidate) based on the issues.

The important thing is that we all remain united in our goal of putting the 11th CD into the blue column.  I, for one, have been working on that for some time now and would like to see it happen these year, whomever our candidate is at the end of the day.

Mr. Walkinshaw, I noticed you've also commented similarly at Bryan Scrafford's blog on this issue.  Perhaps you have one pending at Ms. Byrne's blog that's awaiting her moderating.  In any event, you don't challenge Ms. Byrne's other assertion that Chairman Connolly asked Ms. Byrne to repudiate a particular blogger.  You also haven't yet commented at the NLS blog which may have been the site of the allegedly offensive remark.

I'm glad to hear that the Connolly campaign will strive to be positive, on the issues, and would like to see the Dems retake the seat even if not by Chairman Connolly.  If Chairman Connolly continues to call for Ms. Byrne to repudiate bloggers who say things Chairman Connolly finds offensive, he's going to find it difficult to stay positive and keep the focus on the issues.

I've been trying on this site, my site, and others to elicit the type of pro-Connolly conversation that would help me figure out why it wouldn't be better for Chairman Connolly to tend to the job he just won re-election to.  At the very least, it might be a good idea for Chairman Connolly to start a blog of his own.

From the Connolly-blogger meeting in March 2007 - "Connolly likes the fact that at the local level, you can make a big difference in peoples' lives, and people 'expect you to do something.'  On the Hill, you're "many steps removed" from that level of engagement."

Ten months later, Connolly was quoted in the WaPo as follows concerning deciding whether to run for Congress - "I won't pretend that it's an easy decision, but the United States is at war. I cannot address the issues of war and peace in my current job."

Of course, back in March 2007, the U.S. wasn't at war.  Oh wait.

makes me dizzy and seasick.

But through his Boston-style machine politics, he has alienated huge portions of the Democratic-voting populace. Many of these may not be card-carrying members of FCDC, but they are Democrats who vote faithfully in primaries.

He obviously has a few very vocal and nasty supporters. But just look at their posts, here and in other places such as the Washington Post. They are not Democrats of whom most of us would be proud. We Democrats can criticize each other, and that is healthy. But many in Connolly's inner core, including himself, are just plain mean.

That is the reason that any mention of Connolly in these blogs will illicit such a negative response.

Just because he says he isn't courting bloggers (obviouslybecause they have all sided with leslie doesn't mean that there is no grassroots.  While blogs are way for people to build grassroots support there are others.  In fact there was lots of grassroot support long before blogs or the internet for that matter existed.

is a microcosm of her appeal to Democratic voters.

She is a class act and someone of whom we Dems will always be proud. The same is not true of Mr. Connolly.

The blogs are one manifestation -- a fast growing one at that -- of grassroots expression.  Hence, the term "netroots" for citizens who use the internet in order to empower themselves, organize, inform, motivate, etc.  Over the past few years, the "netroots" has grown explosively hear in Virginia, including Jim Webb's "rag-tag army" (as he called it), which helped defeat not one but TWO establishment candidates.  Interestingly, one of those establishment candidates was a close political ally of Gerry Connolly.  Now, the goal is to elect Leslie Byrne -- one of Jim Webb's earliest and most important supporters -- to Congress.  In that, I believe that most of the netroots, and a significant percentage of the pure "grassroots," is united.